“Is this the best they have after two years and so-called investigative journalism?” he said. “I think John Stackhouse, you’re a disgusting human being, in my opinion... How would you like me to do some investigative reporting on you?”

The Globe’s report, an investigative article released Saturday, says multiple unnamed sources characterized Ford as “a go-to dealer of hash” in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke for many years, mostly in the 1980s.

“Some of the sources said that, in the affluent pocket of Etobicoke where the Fords grew up, he was someone who sold not only to users and street-level dealers, but to dealers one rung higher than those on the street,” the article said.

It also cites sister Kathy Ford’s links to violence and white supremacists, and decades-old charges of assault causing bodily harm and forcible confinement against brother Randy Ford, which reportedly had to do with a neighbourhood drug dealer. The Globe couldn't determine the outcome of the charges. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's lawyer, Dennis Morris, who represented Randy at the time, said he did not recall the incident, the paper reported.

The article makes clear that The Globe could find no criminal records for Doug Ford that supported allegations against him.

It also quotes Ford’s lawyer, Gavin Tighe, who denied allegations against his client.

The Globe’s report comes after editor John Cook of Gawker and reporters from the Toronto Star said they viewed a video purportedly showing the Toronto mayor smoking crack cocaine. Rob Ford called their reports “ridiculous” and on Friday made a public statement to address the allegations.